Diffusion is a student leadership opportunity through Orange Lutheran, where mentors are paired with international mentees to help acclimate them into the school system. The program provides many unique opportunities for international students to embrace American culture. Recently, we were fortunate enough to have a tailgate outside the homecoming football game at Orange Coast College. During the cookout, international students and their mentors were able to enjoy classic burgers and hotdogs while socializing with their friends. After eating a delicious meal, the students began spreading out and playing traditional American games such as football and spike ball. Many of them were confused about how to play, throwing the football by the tip or repeatedly catching the spike ball. This created a fantastic bonding moment between the international and American students as they taught them how to play these new games. Being able to teach them about unfamiliar Western sports has been, as Diffusion Mentor Samantha Kim describes, “a unique and joyous experience.” She further explains how these games have been a continuity her entire life, and sharing them with people eager to play was the highlight of her week.
After the tailgate, all the students migrated towards the stadium to watch our football team. The students gathered in hordes as they cheered from the student section, but despite the crowd efforts, our team unfortunately lost. Even though the night ended on a sad note, the mentees said they enjoyed the experience. Despite our team losing, mentee Junlin Pan says, “The tailgate was awesome! There was so much energy, and everyone had a blast. The games and food were top-notch. It was a fantastic time spent with Diffusion and my friends.” Overall, the night was a success, and both the mentors and international students hope for more bonding events in the near future.
